"Teaching in Boston means giving back to the same school district that equipped me with the knowledge and skills to be successful in life."

—Rene Reyes

Meet the Educator

Rene Reyes grew up in Boston, and though he had dreams of playing soccer, he decided that the best way for him to make a difference was to teach. Rene grew up in Roslindale and also attended Boston University, so he sees reflections of himself and his peers in the students he teaches everyday.

Throughout his life, Rene has found opportunities to work with youth, and uses those interactions to show students that hard work and perseverance yields results that allow them to make continued contributions in their community.

man teacher with light skin tone and short dark hair helps high school students with classwork.
high school students work on classwork.
high school students face the front of classroom where teacher is presenting.
 

rene, at-a-glance

Hometown: Roslindale, Massachusetts

Alma Mater (Undergraduate): Boston University

Position: History Teacher, New Mission High School

Best book/website for teachers: The Stanford History Education Group's website

Favorite place in Boston: The Boston Common

Best way to unwind: I play basketball and hang out with my friends, usually while watching a New England Patriots game

Dinner with anyone, dead or alive? President John F. Kennedy

Purpose Profile

Rene is a Community Investor. Learn more about Community Investors and other Teacher Purpose Profiles here:

Green illustration of person with dreadlocks holding a poster with a peace sign, and a megaphone. They are smiling, and surrounded by energetic marks.
 
man teacher with light skin tone and dark hair, wearing blue button down, smiling
 

Q&A: Rene's Perspective

The Boston Public Schools Office of Human Capital sat down with Rene Reyes in fall 2014 to learn more about his experiences in the Boston Public Schools as a community member, teacher, and educator of color.

Here's what we learned during our time with Rene.

Describe your work experience in Boston.  Working in Boston is wonderful. I really appreciate the supportive community of educators at New Mission High School.  My colleagues constantly help me reflect on the ways in which I can improve my teaching practice. 

What is one of your keys to success in the classroom?  I believe that getting involved with extra-curricular activities can very important to success in the classroom. I am serving as one of our school’s debate coaches. Thanks to debate, I have strengthened relationships with my 9th graders, met students from other grades, and implemented Evidence-Based Argumentation (EBA) in my own classroom to foster students’ learning.  

What are you proud of as an educator?  I take great pride in being from Boston and teaching because it is my way of giving back to the same school district that equipped me with the knowledge and skills to be successful in life. I am also proud to have earned my master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education last year. 

What was the best lesson/unit you've ever taught? I love teaching my unit on prehistory. Toward the end of that unit, students write journal entries and draw Snapchat illustrations that detail the lives of early hominids during prehistoric times.